New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-07-24
READY TO SEE THE THISTLE.
PROUD OF THE VOLUNTEERS EFFORTS.
YAcnrsMsN HERE CONFIDENT THAT THE GREAT

hope that the Volunteer will turn out to be the fast
est boat on this side of the Atlantic, as the Thistle
has proven herself to be the fastest boat that ever
| sailed In British waters. All sectional pride must
give way before the general desire to have the emblem
of yachting supremacy won by an American boat, no
| matter where she is built or who builds her.
| In the nature Of things It could not be expected
that the trial trip would afford any conclusive test
| as to tho speed of the Volunteer. The successful
brush with the Bedouin settles nothing as regards
the Volunteers qualifications for defeating the Thistle
| The BedouIn is much smaller boat than the Volun-
| teer and as she was merely cruising she probably
| did not do the best that she is capable Of 1t Will
require a race with the Mayiower, Puritan, Atlantic
or Priscilla to furnish any trustworthy basis for de-
| termining the speed Of the Volunteer Even were
she defeated at first that would not be conclusive,
because owing to the many experiments frequently
necessary get everything adjusted as TO get tho
highest speed out OF boat that she is capable OF,
yacht seldom does her best In her first What Is
particularly gratifying about the trial trip Of the Vol
unteer the evidence It seems to furnish thai there
will be little need of much experimenting or altering
| TO get tho Volunteer In proper racing trim. The
calculations Of the designer with regard to the cut OF
the sails, adjustment of ballast, etc. seem to have
anticipated tho result Of actual sailing test In
way that reflects great credit his SKILL This fur
nishes all the for congratulations because
there is not much time for making anything ike
serious alterations before the trial races take place,
the Thistle.
The Thistle has this advantage She has been
more thoroughly tested than the volunteer can PROB
ably no before the international races take place.
The Thistle has engaged In numerous races In all
sorts weather and It may be taken for granted that
every improvement has bosn made In her which ample
hxperi1nce can suggest to get the best out OF her
that is In her. This IL small advantage to begin
with A cable dispatch states that tho Thistle VIII
fr,n
bring with her a racing crow Of forty men, IL has
been suggested that about this latter Item there Is
probably some mistake, as It is unusual for yacht
TO bring over 20 many more men than are necessary
to work her during the passage across tho usual pro
cedurc being 70 take only working crew ana
send the remainder by steamer, or complete inc
complement on this side. But the figures suggest
pecunlary considerations that are likely always 10
prevent Thistcs from becoming numerous, however
successful they may prove at racing unless scheme
be devised for paying their expenses by means Oh
ioint stock companies. The Thistle will be riggcd
for her passage here with a jury topmast, short
bowsprt and boom, and Will sail under storm main
sail, small foresa llb and staysail 1t Is es'r
mated that her voyage Will take from eighteen W
twenty-G, > DAYS There will be ample opportunity
after she arrives therefore, to drill the GRE" ana
become familiar with the courses to be sailed over
IL is probable that the Thistle will seek to avoid any
friendly trial with other yachts that viii tend TO DIS
count estimates as what she will do in the contests
for the cup with the harbor fun Of yaehtsmen
anxious for go at her" 1t Is not likely that she VIII
altogether succeed In avoiding brush now ana thsh
that Will furnish pretty good grounds for com
PARSONS.
In these days when nearly everybody on this side
has come to believe In the sOop at least the com
promise, sIoop, AZ some people prefer considering
such boats as the May1ower and Volunteer, II Is re-
frcShng to meet cutter man, not " compromise
cutter man. but out and-out cutter man, and a
man who can give reasons, be they good or Dali ior
the faith that IA in him. such man Is John Harvey
who lives and designs yachts at No. 2n West fon1
teenth-st veteran Is Mr.. Harvey. lie Designer
many notable racing boats In England, among them
the Jullanar in 1875, one Of the first successful mar
row beam type Of cutters. Ilo also designed the
Miranda which proved herself the fastest schooner
I'm England, and though recently defeated nero Al
quilted herself well. Seven years ago Mr. Harvey
came here to Introduce the cutter but bis efforts have
not resulted In the general acceptance Of that type
Of boat.
81 know that the tide here IS against me-" he said
cheerily but stu stick % cutters and believe that
type Of boat will prevail here, because they are
handy. safe and seawoithy.'
Notwithstanding recent contests between cut'crs
and sloops Z" he was asked.
@Those contests prove only that the sloops were
srnc,tor IN the narrowbeam cutters that they met
They we're not the best narrowboam cutters that could
be built believe that Watson could build narrow
beam cutter that would defeat any cutter on the other
side and any slo0p this side Certainly peileVe
that the Thistle. although She is bcamy cutter VIII
defeat the Volunteer. OF course, believe
that watson Is a better naval architect than burgess
Mr. Uarvev,s faith in the cutter and faith In Wat
sons skill Is sublime.
But as the beamy cutter Thistle has deiea'ed All
the fastest narrow cutters In England, why do you sun
contend for the superiority Of tho narrow cutteri
asked the reporter.
Because the fastest type Of narrow cutters nave
NOT vet been built Narrow cutters have won before
and they Will win again. Walt til somebody over
there gives Watson order for a narrow cutter
then we shall sco what that class Of boat can do"
Mr. Harvey stu urges tho old claims for the
superIority OF the narrow cutter which most people
here at least suppose have been satisfactorily uiS'
posed Of but Mr.. Harvey has a plan Tor adjusting
beam on a certain sliding scale For cutter lVo
feet long he would have the beam Onesevcnth the
length; fny-three foct long onc-sixth the iehg'h
thirty feet long, one fourth tho length.
ON another point which Mr.. Harvey touched npon'
I'm view OF tho he gives, he VIII probably hhu
more people agree with him. Boats Ike the ms
tlc~ he said, never become numerous or popu'
lar In England not only because the number OF hahdS
required 10 work them renders them excessively
costly but because such large crews take up 50 much
room there IS no room left To provide comfortable
accommodations for the owner and guests. Imagine
how much room there Is to spare ON inc Ih'suo'
when forty slowed away In her Only men
who care for racing machines and can afford them VIII
keep such craft. This large crew Is required because
Of the immense Of the mansail. With mar
rover cutter with a much smaller sail area, proper
tonaely smaller necessary and hence there
is much more room for owner and guest TO take IL
comfortably board. Other things being equal, or
nearly equal only this factor alone will make the
large narrow beam cutter more popular than the
large broad-beam cutter" 1t will be interesting to
hc.r ,pi,at Mr. WatS IN 81
when he comes over
A. Carey Smith Of the opinion that the costliness
OF maintaining large soops like the Priscilla, Puritan,
etc. because Of the large number Of men required
TO manage their maInsals Will also prevent them from
becoming popular. When 1t blows hard" he said,
at Is all that thirty five men do to haul In the
main sheet Of the Priscilla the pressure which stiH
breeze eXers such large sheet Of canvas Is some
H.